The AFC playoff picture has its wrinkles with four teams in the hunt despite the fact that three of them — the 6-7 Colts and Browns and Raiders, who are both 6-8) are longshots. The Bills could actually win the AFC East (!), but they’d have to beat the Patriots next week in the process.
But the NFC? It’s going to be a wild final two weeks, and it could start on Monday night when the New Orleans Saints face those Colts.
A win gets the Saints to 11-3 … and that’s the same record as the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers. And just to prove how nuts that is, the Niners’ stunning loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday dropped them to FIFTH in the conference seeding. Fifth! At 11-3! And the Minnesota Vikings are 10-4, lurking in case the Green Bay Packers (No. 2 seed as of now) falter. And the Seattle Seahawks are the top seed, but they too could fall down to a Wild Card spot if they stumble down the stretch.
Then there’s the fact that a .500 team could win the NFC East. The Dallas Cowboys (7-7) play the Philadelphia Eagles (also 7-7) next week, but then both teams could lose in Week 17. If you’re a Wild Card team that has, say, 12 or 13 wins, wouldn’t you be furious at playing a road Wild Card game to open the postseason? I would.
(Also, throw the Rams, who face the Niners next week and are 8-6 right now.)
But it all starts on Monday night with Saints-Colts. We’re a night game away from things getting completely wild in the NFC.
Let’s get nuts.
